Business Directories

Hypermarket at Dana Mall

Manama, June 17, 2007

The first Lulu Hypermarket is likely to open at Bahrain Dana Mall during the first week of August.

A UAE-based Indian business tycoon has renewed his pledge to invest BD50 million in Bahrain and create hundreds of jobs for Bahrainis.

Emke Group managing director M A Yusuffali also congratulated Crown Prince and BDF Commander-in-Chief Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa on his speech at the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Yusuffali, director of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a member of the UAE delegation to the ILO meeting in Geneva, said he was honoured to meet the Crown Prince and listen to his speech.

'The Crown Prince won the hearts of everyone while addressing the assembly in English,' he said, speaking from his office in Abu Dhabi.

'He spoke for the entire mankind, while stressing the need to provide the young with a favourable working environment.

'Indian Labour Minister Oscar Fernades and other leaders were pleased to hear his statement that Bahrain welcomed all foreign manpower and was committed to protecting their rights in accordance with human principles.

'They also welcomed his suggestion to hold the first regional dialogue on workers' issues in Bahrain.'

Yousuffali, who earlier met the Crown Prince in New Delhi during the latter's first official visit to India in March, said his group would be opening a chain of hypermarkets in Bahrain.

'I pledged to invest BD50 million over the coming two years. Our hypermarkets will create more than 2,000 jobs for Bahrainis,' he revealed.

'During the meeting in Geneva, the Crown Prince inquired about our projects and we are motivated by his progressive policies and outlook to make more investments in Bahrain.'

EMKE Group owns the chain of Lulu Hypermarkets and there are currently 57 outlets in the Gulf.

'We shall open at least four hypermarkets in Bahrain,' Yusuffali said

'The first Lulu Hypermarket will be opened at Dana Mall during the first week of August, before the start of Ramadan. The other three will be located in East Riffa, Arad and Aali and we hope to open them within two years.'

'We have already recruited 150 Bahrainis who will be employed at our Dana Mall outlet,' he revealed.

'They will be offered training opportunities in our outlets in other Gulf countries.

'The group's other plans include opening 11 new hypermarkets and shopping malls in the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and India by 2008.'

He is the recipient of several national and international awards, including the Parvasi Bharatiya Samman and the Rajeev Gandhi Award. Mr Yusuffali has companies in the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Kuwait, Kenya, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Tanzania, Benin, India and employs more than 15,000 people.